The Montfermeil Years
by snowfwake6
Summary: A series of one shots taking place at the Thenardier's in Montfermeil. Jumps around through the years, showing the fall of the Thenardier family.
1. Water

"Watch this, Azelma," Eponine said to her sister one evening in early January. They sat on a rug together near the kitchen. Eponine help her kitten in her arms and a doll dress in the other. She unbuttoned the dress and put her kitten's arms through the armholes. "Look, she's just like a real lady. She has a dress on. Doesn't she look dainty?"

Their Mother wiped down the countertop with a rag. She muttered to herself. "15,000 francs," She muttered. "We let that little brat go for 15,000 measly francs! And now I have to do all this extra work." She walked over to the water barrel to fill her pot. It was completely empty. She cursed and looked outside. It was dark and cold out. She couldn't leave the inn. There were many guests that needed her to cook.

She scanned the room. Her husband was asleep and she wouldn't dare wake him. The hole in the wall where Cosette usually hid was empty. She was gone. Her eyes went to the two little girls playing on the rug.

Eponine was wrestling the kitten trying to get a ribbon around his tail. "A lady must have lots of bows," She informed a wide eyed Azelma. "And she must always stick out her pinky." She took the kitten's end claw and separated it. The cat was not pleased. He squirmed away and ran around the inn, making his dress fall off. The girls saw their Mother approaching.

"Hello, Maman!" Eponine said to her Mother. "Our lady ran away and she lost her gown. Isn't it sad?"

"Yes, yes," Her Mother said. "Eponine, I need you to do something for me."

Eponine stood up. "What is that, Maman?" She said.

Her Mother looked at her apologetically. She looked at the empty bucket. "We are all out of water," She said. "I need you to go fill up the bucket."

Eponine's expression changed. Mother never asked her to do anything like that before. "I cannot get water!" She exclaimed. "It is nighttime!"

"Well I'm sorry Ponine," Her Mother said. "Cosette's not here anymore. You need to help out a bit more."

"I will but can I do it in the daytime?" Eponine asked. She started to tear up.

"I need the water tonight. Don't argue with me," Her Mother said. He handed her the empty bucket. "Take this to the well. You know how to use the well right?"

Eponine took the bucket. "Yes," She said quietly. "I'll go." She headed to the door. She looked back to see her Mother back to wiping the counter and Azelma looking at her sympathetically.

She stepped out into the night. The cold January breeze rustled her curls. She pulled her shawl around her with one hand and held the bucket with the other. She started walking down the dirt road. She was mad. It wasn't fair. It was Cosette's job to get water. She should be at home playing. She was a young lady. It wasn't fair.

She turned down a road that led to the woods. She stepped onto the grass. It was getting darker. The trees in the wood blocked the moon. The wind blew strongly carrying a light snow.

Eponine was frightened. Every noise and every gust of wind made her shiver. She started to cry. She was cold and tired. She sat down on a stump to rest. Her head hurt. Her fingers were numb. All of the years of teasing Cosette, every trick played, every chore she made her do, all of it was coming back to haunt her. "I'm sorry!" She yelled.

She stood up and looked around. Which way was the well? Which way was her home. She was lost. She picked the direction she thought was right and starting walking. Then she switched directions.

She walked on. She remembered back to a night about a year ago. Her Father was drunk and furious. He threw a chair across the room. It almost hit Azelma in the head. Azelma started crying into Eponine's shoulder. Eponine held her and sang to her to make her less scared.

Eponine thought that singing may help her feel better. She sang softly to herself. "Frere Jacques… Frere Jacques," An owl hooted from a tree. Eponine started running faster.

She had no idea where she was. "Dormez vous," a branch fell from a tree next to her. She shrieked and ran in a different direction. She slowed down and caught her breath. "Dormez vous," she said quickly.

She walked past a tree and saw the well in the distance. She ran to it. "Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines." She lowered her bucket down the well. "Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding, dong."

She took the bucket in her hands. It was heavy. She couldn't hold it with one hand so she had to use two. She held onto her shawl with her chin. She knew the way home. Kind of. The snow picked up and she could barely see.

"Frere Jaques," She could see the road ahead of her and she ran to it. "Frere Jaques." Her hair blew in many directions. She tried to shake it away from her face. In the process she let go of her shawl and it flew away. "Come back!" She yelled. "Please come back!" The shawl blew into the woods. Eponine knew she couldn't go back for it now.

She had to push on or she'd never back it home. She was only eight years old. How could her Mother make such a tiny child go out at night alone? She thought back to the poor little girl that used to live with her. She wished she would have played with her just a few times, given her food, let her borrow her shawl. Now she was gone. So was the shawl. Eponine was cold.

Houses started to appear on the road. The church, the bakery, Eponine could see the inn at the end of the road. She began to move quicker, which was a mistake because she almost slid on the ice and some water spilled out of her bucket. It was now about half full but Eponine could not go back to the well. The metal handle on the bucket was so cold. Her hands were numb with pain. Was this what frostbite felt like?

She walked up the stairs to the inn door and went inside. "Ponine! You're back! Look! I've put the dress back on our kitten! See look!" Azelma said happily as her sister came in through the door.

Eponine set the bucket down on the floor. "Did you get the water?" Her Mother asked.

"Uh, huh," Eponine said quietly. She rubbed her hands together to try to warm them. Her hair was frazzled.

Her Mother walked over to the bucket of water. "It's half empty!" She said.

"S-s-sorry," Eponine said. "I slipped on the ice and I… it was so cold and I… I'm sorry Maman!"

"Fine, fine," Her Mother said. "You can add more in the morning. Poor dear. Get your nightgown on. Gosh your hair!"

"It's very very windy out!" Eponine said. "I'm sorry." She ran out of the room to her bedroom. She stopped in front of her mirror and looked at herself.

"What a mess," She muttered. Part of her was grateful. If Cosette had brought home a half empty bucket she would have been whipped. Her Mother still cared about her. But she also knew that things were never going to be the same. Change was coming. Eponine twirled around in front of her mirror like she did many times before, but this time she didn't feel very much like a princess.


	2. Fire

When Cosette was six she had a nightmare. Madame told her to watch the food while she went to do the shopping. It was a pot of boiling soup that hung above the fire place. She watched it for a bit, but then she heard a noise from out the window. It was a singing noise, but not like a person singing. It sounded more like a bird. 'Maybe it's a lark' Cosette thought to herself and she walked outside to get a better look at it. She had never seen a real lark, or of she did she didn't know. She looked around for a singing bird.

Instead she saw a woman. She didn't look like a real woman, maybe an angel or a fairy. She had wings like the creature in Eponine's picture book. She also had a beautiful face that Cosette thought she recognized. "Mother," she whispered. The lady held out her hand. Cosette took it. The woman jumped up and they both soared into the sky. They were flying! They danced in the sky full of colors. Cosette was no longer wearing her torn up dirty frock, but a beautiful princess gown.

"Cosette," the lady said. "Cosette, Cosette." She repeated her name over and over, but every time she said it her voice got gruffer and meaner. Eventually it turned into Madame's voice. "Cosette! Cosette!" She felt herself falling. She landed with a thump on the kitchen floor in her dirty dress again. But this time that walls were tall with flames. She inn walls started burning down. She could hear people crying out for help. Why Cosette? Why wouldn't you watch the pot? The flames caught on to her dress and build up to her face.

She woke up.

She was in the barn on the hay where she had fallen asleep while doing her work. She got up and rubbed her eyes. She stepped out of the barn and looked at the inn. It had not burnt down. She walked through the door.

"Where have you been?" Monsieur asked. "We were calling for you! We need you to take this to the post."

"S-sorry," Cosette said. "I fell asleep I believe. I'll take it."

"Fell asleep!" Monsieur shouted. "In the middle of the daytime. You lazy girl! I ought to whip you for this!"

"Please no please!" Cosette exclaimed. "I was just so tired from shoveling! I didn't mean to! I'll never do it again!" Thenardier walked towards her. In his eyes she could see a fire starting. A pot unattended. He took the whip off the shelf. The wall the whip was hanging from caught fire. He grabbed Cosette by the shoulder. Another wall burst into flames.

He lifted the whip and lashed her. More fire. More flames. Each lash sent another wall or table or object into a blaze of orange and red. She was hot. Her tears burnt her as the slid down her face. Thenardier tossed the letter at her feet and left the room.

Cosette limped over to the window and stuck out her head. "Mother!" She called. No one came. She looked at the front room of the inn. The flames were gone but the memory of them would live with her forever.


	3. Riches

_Eponine Thenardier_

_Age 6_

_Weekly Journal_

_What I Want To Be When I Grow Up_

_When I grow up I am going to move to Paris and live like a bourgeois Parisian girl. Paris is the best city in France because everyone in Paris is rich and has lots of dresses. All the buildings in Paris are big and grand. There is a river there and I will have a sailboat and ride up and down._

_I will get married to a handsome husband who is kind and has lots of money and he will buy us a big castle with to live in. We will meet in a romantic garden and he will say "You are the prettiest girl I've ever seen, will you marry me?" And I will say "Yes" and we will have a wedding in a large cathedral with an organ as tall as the sky. _

_Then we will go to our castle. I like castles because they are big and have lots of rooms so all my friends and family can come and stay with me. Everyone in Paris will want to be my friend. Everyone will want to be my friend so that they can come to my castle and come to my parties._

_I will throw big parties with hundreds of people. We will dance and eat fancy food like escargot. I will invite all the kings and the queens and the dukes and dutchesses and they will come. They will tell me "Oh, Eponine, you throw the best parties ever!" and they will come over every week._

_When I am grown I will also have a daughter. I will name her Emaline and buy her whatever she wants. She will be very pretty. She will look like my doll. She will have long gowns to wear and brown curls in her hair like me. I will give her all the toys she wants and take her to the fair._

_When I live in Paris I will go to the theatre all of the time and see the plays and the operas. I will ride are in a beautiful carriage and carry a parasol. I can't wait to grow up! _


	4. Illness

Eponine stood by the fire over a pot of almost boiling water. Azelma stood by her side, tugging at the end of her dress. "Ponine!" She said in a whine. "Ponine!" She tapped on her shoulder.

Eponine whipped around. "What?" She asked, annoyed.

"Where's Mama?" Azelma asked.

"I am Mama right now," Eponine said. She took a wooden spoon and stirred the water, hoping it would boil faster.

"No," Azelma said, rocking back and forth on her heels and mimicking Eponine's stirring motion. "You are only seven years old. You can't be a Mama."

"Well," Eponine said with her hands on her hips. She had her Mother's oversized apron on and her Mother's large shoes on her feet. "Mama is ill so I have to take over for her."

"How is Mama ill?" Azelma asked.

"I don't know," Eponine said. "But the nurse is in her room with her and she said Mama won't be able to come downstairs until tomorrow. So that means that I have to do Mama's jobs for her like cooking and boiling water. It also means I'm in charge of you." The door swing open and a little frail girl walked in. "And Cosette," Eponine added.

Eponine put down the spoon and skipped over to Cosette. "Mama is ill so I am in charge today," She told her. "So you have to do what I say."

Cosette looked up at her timidly. "What do you need?" She asked.

Eponine thought for a second. "Scrub this floor!" She demanded. "And then wash all of the clothes."

Cosette nodded and took a rag from the counter. She bent down and started washing some dirt off the ground. Eponine smiled at herself. She liked being in charge of things. She walked back over to the pot which was now bubbling rapidly. "It's boiling!" She exclaimed.

Azelma ran to her side and looked at the pot, fastinated that her sister could do such a thing. "Now what?" She asked.

Eponine looked at the pot puzzled, wondering how she'd get it off. "Now," She said. "We get Papa."

Thenardier was behind the counter serving wine to the customers. Eponine walked over to him and sat on of the bar stools. "Will you please help us get the water off of the fire?" She asked.

Thenardier set down the wine bottle and walked over to the fire place. He lifted out the pot and walked it over to the counter. "Should we bring some water to Mama?" Eponine asked.

"No," Thenardier said. "If the nurse needs water she'll come and get it. None of us are allowed to see your Mother today."

"Why?" Azelma asked.

"Don't ask questions, Azelma," Thenardier said.

"Alright," Azelma said. She twirled in a circle then saw that her sister was leaving the room so she followed. "Ponine!" She hollered. "Where are you going?"

"Shh!" Eponine hissed. She knocked on the door to a guest room door. There was no response so she deemed it safe to enter.

"What are you doing?" Azelma whispered. Eponine climbed onto the guest's bed and Azelma got on after her.

"I'm trying to see if I can hear into Mama's room," Eponine said. "So be quiet." That sat quietly in the room. Through the ceiling they could hear faint murmers of voices but they could not make out any words.

"I can't hear anything," Azelma said.

"Shh!" Eponine said. "No wonder!" They got quiet again. Now they could hear a squeaking noise, like a cry of distress. It was high pitched and small. It didn't sound a thing like their Mother.

"It sounds like a dying animal," Eponine said.

"I'm scared. Let's get out of here," Azelma said.

"Fine," Eponine said. They left room and went into the kitchen. Outside the sky was getting dark. Azelma yawned.

"Why don't you two go to sleep now?" Thenardier said.

"What about Mama?" Eponine asked.

"She will be alright in the morning," Thenardier said. "Now go to bed."

Eponine and Azelma walked together to the bedroom that they shared. Eponine climbed into her bed and Azelma got into the bed next to her. Eponine closed her eyes and went to sleep. As she slept she could hear faint cries from upstairs.

In the morning Eponine threw the blankets off of her. "Azelma get up!" She said. "Let's go see Mama!"

"Oh!" Azelma exclaimed, climbing out of her bed. The two girls ran down the hallway. In the front room, Madame Thenardier sat on a chair, holding something.

"Children, listen," Madame Thenardier said. "Last night when you were asleep a stork flew by the house and delivered a baby to your Father and I."

"A real baby!" Eponine exclaimed. "Is it a boy or girl?"

"A boy," Madame Thenardier sighed. "His name is Gavroche."


	5. Porcelain

"This one is beautiful," A woman said, walking towards a porcelain doll sitting on the shelf. She was an old feeble woman who walked with a cane. She held the grabbed the doll with her bony hands and spoke. "The paint on her face is chipping a bit and her dress is a bit tattered, but those are both easy fixes I guess. She'll look marvelous in my collection."

Across the room a pair of emerald green eyes glared at the woman. "Her name is Lily. She is not for sale," A young girl said.

The girl's Father walked towards her. "What do you mean it's not for sale, Azelma? Of course it's for sale! Everything here is for sale!"

"But Papa, please! She can have any of my other dolls!" Azelma said. Tears formed at the back of her eyes, but Azelma refused to let them drop. Her eyes burned.

Thenardier grabbed her shoulder tightly and squeezed it. Azelma could feel her circulation being cut off. She winced in pain. Thenardier spoke to her through gritted teeth "Let her buy the doll." Then he let go of her, sending her stumbling backwards.

"You can buy her," Azelma said quietly. She was angry. No. She was beyond angry. She was furious. She had had Lily since she was three. She had seen her in the store and spent hours gazing at her. Then Christmas morning, Lily was standing under the tree smiling at Azelma. She was a beautiful doll. She stayed by Azelma's side for seven years. She was her friend. She would play with Lily and talk to Lily when Eponine was too busy for her.

It wasn't fair her Father was making her sell her dolls. The old woman had come in to look at China plates, and instead saw Lily on the shelf. Her Father cared more about money than his daughter's happiness. Azelma had come to accept this. Ever since they had started struggling with bills, Azelma had become practically invisible. Her parents just saw her as another mouth to feed and her sister, her dear Eponine that she used to play with for hours on end, always was busy with chores and watching the little ones.

Azelma watched the woman give her Father ten francs for the doll. Azelma scowled. What on earth would an old woman like that want with a doll. An why was it that giving her Father a piece of metal with a 10 on it let the lady take Lily away? It didn't make sense to her.

The old woman took the doll in her arms and left the inn. Azelma still refused to cry. What is the point of crying if the bad thing has already happened and there is no one around to feel sympathy for you anyways. It would only make her Father angry.

Azelma walked through the inn. It seemed so empty. There were no customers. Half of the furniture had been sold. Azelma walked into a bedroom were her sister was coddling The Baby. He was the newest addition to the family, born last spring. If he had a name Azelma didn't know of it. Everyone just called him The Baby.

Eponine saw Azelma and could sense the worry in her face. "What is it?" She asked. She patted the baby's back gently. Over the last few years, Eponine had grown up much faster than she was supposed to. Her face looked tired.

Azelma leaned up against the side of the baby's crib. "Father sold Lily," she said. She felt a wet stream down her face. She couldn't hold it in.

"Don't cry Azelma," Eponine said. "There are far worse things to cry about than a doll. You are ten years old for goodness sake. Dolls are for little girls. I sold all of my dolls. You didn't see me cry. Father needs the money so we can go to Paris. Then we'll find work and be wealthy again."

Azelma knew everything Eponine said was a lie. Father wasn't going to spend the doll money on Paris, he was going to spend it on wine. Also, Azelma knew for a fact that Eponine cried when she sold her dolls. She watched her through a crack in the door as Eponine cried face down on her bed for hours.

Azelma walked back to her room and looked up at the empty shelf where Lily used to stand. She thought back to a game she played with Eponine where Lily fell down the well and all of the dolls had to save her. That's how Azelma felt- trapped at the bottom of a well in some little girl's pretend game. But it wasn't pretend. It was real. And in this game there's no one to save you.


	6. Boredom

Azelma watched from under a table at the inn in her nightgown and nightcap. She didn't like Mondays. On Mondays her sister got up earlier than usual and ran around the house looking for things.

"Where are my hair ribbons?" Her sister asked. She ran around the front room of the inn looking in places that were very unlikely for hair ribbons to be.

"How would I know, dear?" Her Mother asked. "They are probably in your bedroom." Her Mother was busy in the kitchen of the inn making breakfast for the customers who would be getting up soon.

"They aren't!" Eponine exclaimed. She opened several drawers looking for them.

"Well they aren't going to be in there Ponine!" Her Mother said. Eponine groaned and looked under the counter.

"I can't go to school without my hair ribbons! All of the girls have hair ribbons! If you don't have hair ribbons the girls in the class make you be Marie Antoinette at recess!" Eponine carried on.

Azelma watched her sister in awe as she tore up the entire inn looking for hair ribbons. This happened almost every day. Azelma clutched her little doll in her arms and leaned up against the leg of the table. "Ponine," She asked quietly.

"I just don't know where they are! I set them on my dresser last night before I went to sleep and now they are gone! Someone must have taken them! Probably that Cosette! She always wants to take my ribbons!"

"Ponine," Azelma asked again, a bit more loudly. She could see her sister's feet run around the room. She had her shiny black shoes on and lacy socks.

"Where is that Cosette? And what would she want my ribbons for? Maybe she hid them so I can't have them! She wants to ruin my life! I need those ribbons! Where are they?"

"Ponine!" Azelma said in a soft yell, just enough to get her sister's attention.

"What?" Eponine asked, perturbed and annoyed.

"Who's Marie Antoinette?" Azelma asked.

Eponine crouched down to her sister's level. "A queen who got her head chopped off," Eponine said. Azelma hugged her doll tighter. "When we go outside for recess all of the girls play a game where one girl is Marie Antoinette and all of the other girls yell 'off with her head' and they throw her under the guillotine, which is the big oak tree, and the branch comes down with a whack and her head flies off!"

Azelma thought this was a horrid game and she was terrified that there was a chance her sister's head would be whacked off.

"Oh not really, dummy," Eponine said. "It's all a pretend game. And- hey!" Eponine grabbed the doll Azelma was holding out of her arms. "Your doll stole my ribbons!"

"They're my ribbons," Azelma said quietly.

"Are not," Eponine said. She took the ribbons out of the doll and tied them on the sides of her curls. Azelma didn't fight back, even though she was certain she was right. Eponine got what she wanted and that was how things were.

"Come here Ponine," Her Mother said. Eponine skipped over to her Mother. "Here is your lunch, now hurry or you'll be late."

"Yes, Maman," Eponine said and kissed her Mother on the cheek. Then she ran out the door of the inn and ran down the dirt road to the school house.

Azelma ran to the window and watched her sister leave. "I want to go to school too," She said.

"You're too young!" Her Mother said. "You can go next year. Now come here and help me peel potatoes."

"Okay," Azelma said. She walked over to her Mother who handed her three potatoes and a knife. She took the knife and one of the potatoes and began to play with them. "I am going to whack your head off!" She said to the potato. "You are Marie Tonette!" She took the knife and sliced off a piece of potato skin.

She thew the piece of skin at the door as the door swung open and Cosette walked in. The skin hit Cosette's arm. She took it off and tossed it outside.

"You threw out the head!" Azelma exclaimed. Cosette had no idea what this meant but she was afraid she'd be in trouble. She was relieved when Azelma started laughing. She threw another piece of potato skin at Cosette.

"Stop that!" Her Mother scolded. "You're making a mess." She took the knife from Azelma's hand.

Azelma didn't think was fair at all because she hadn't really made a mess at all. She slipped off the stool where she was sitting and walked back over to the window. "Will Ponine be home soon?" She asked.

"She just left!" Her Mother exclaimed. "Go get dressed."

Azelma sighed and walked to her room. It was a little room with two beds and toy chest. In the back of the room there was a tall wardrobe that she shared with her sister. She opened the door of it. "My my," She said quietly to herself. "What to wear today?"

She pulled out the dress she usually wore but it had a soup stain on it from last night. She took the dirty dress and ran to the front room where her Mother was cooking and Cosette was cleaning tables.

Azelma tossed the dirty dress at Cosette. "Clean it," She said.

Cosette took the dress in her arm. "I am doing the wash tonight. I will clean it then," She said.

Azelma folded her arms. This answer obviously dissatisfied her. She stomped back to her room and opened the wardrobe again. She pulled another dress but she put it back because it was her Sunday dress and she didn't want to soil it. She took out her third dress. It was brown and rather itchy. She did not want to wear it.

But then what could she wear? Then she saw it. A pink and yellow dress at the back of the wardrobe. She pulled it out. It was Eponine's. She removed her nightgown and stepped into Eponine's dress. It was a bit big on her but it fit well enough. She walked over to the mirror. "I am Ponine. Where are my hair ribbons?" She said with a laugh. Then she realized she missed her sister and she walked into the front room again.

There were a couple of customers sitting at tables when Azelma got there. She ran over to her Mother. "Maman! Is Ponine home yet?" She asked.

"She only left fifteen minutes ago," Her Mother said.

"How long is school?" Azelma asked.

"Six hours," Her Mother said. "Go find something to do."

Like most five year olds, Azelma had no perception of time and had no idea how long six hours were. She was genuinely bored. She walked outside. Cosette was sweeping the steps.

Eponine and her Mother both told Azelma not to talk to Cosette, but Azelma was lonely and needed someone to play with. "Hello Lark!" She said to Cosette.

Cosette ignored her and kept sweeping. Azelma assumed it was because she didn't like being called 'lark'. She tried again. "Hello Cosette!" She said. Cosette still ignored her. "Hello Euprashie?" She asked. Cosette hummed softly to herself.

"You're not very friendly, are you?" Azelma asked.

"Do you need anything?" Cosette asked.

Azelma thought for a minute. "No," she said. "Do you notice anything different about me?" she asked. "Do you notice I have Ponine's dress on? You probably did not. Do I look pretty?"

"It's a very nice dress," Cosette said softly.

"I know," Azelma said. Her clasped her hands behind her back and skipped circles around Cosette. Cosette moved away from her. Azelma folded her arms. "Rude," she said and stomped her foot. Then she walked back into her house.

"Hello, Azelma," she heard her Father say to her. He sat up to the counter on a stool.

"Hello Papa!" Azelma said. "Do you know when Eponine will be home?"

"I don't know," Thenardier said. "She just left a little while ago."

"She left a long time ago!" Azelma said. "I want her to come home! It is no fun playing without Ponine. She always has good ideas."

Her Mother walked up to her Father and handed him an envelope. "It came," she said.

"Fantine's check?" Thenardier asked, ripping open the envelope. He pulled out a few bills and some coins. "Thirty francs, ha haa! That imbacile of a woman will send us anything."

Monsieur and Madame Thenardier laughed and Azelma laughed too to feel included. "We're rich. Azelma why don't you go down to the corner store and buy yourself a candy piece." She handed her a little coin.

Azelma ran down the street to the corner store. She ran into the shop. The man behind the counter smiled. "Hello, Azelma. You look very fancy today."

"I know," Azelma said. Then she whispered "It's Eponine's Sunday dress."

The man laughed. "What can I get for you today?"

"A sugar pop," Azelma said. "Actually two. That way if I get sugar on Ponine's dress I'll have one to give to her to make it up." She handed the man the coin and he handed her two sugar pops.

Azelma smiled and ran out of the shop. She thought about walking home, but then she thought about the little schoolhouse down the road. She decided to deliver Eponine her candy at school.

When she reached the schoolhouse she could see children playing in the back lawn. Little boys chased each other and the girls stood in a big circle holding hands.

"Ponine! Ponine!" she exclaimed, running towards her sister. Eponine broke from the circle.

"Azelma! Why are you here?" she hissed.

"Did you get whacked?" Azelma asked.

"No!" Eponine said. "We aren't playing that game! What are you doing here? And why are you wearing my Sunday dress!?"

"I missed you," Azelma said. "I brought you a sweet."

"I can't eat sweets in school?" Eponine said. "Now you better go home. And if you're wearing my Sunday dress when I get home, I'll never play with you again!"

"But Ponine…"

"Stop it. Go home."

"Fine." Azelma said. She holded her arms and turned towards home, stomping there with her sweet pop in her mouth.


	7. Laces

Eponine sat of the floor of her brother's room in the inn. "Stay still," she told her five year old brother, Gavroche, who sat next to her playing with the shoe in his hand. Eponine grabbed the shoe from his hand and set it down in front of him. "Stop your fidgeting. I'm going to teach you how to tie laces."

Gavroche leaned his head back and played with a string on his pants. "Can't you just do it? I want to go outside."

"No," Eponine said. "Sit straight. You're lucky you have shoes. Maman and Papa weren't going to give them to you, but they found these for a low price. You should be more grateful. See my shoes." She held her foot out. "I haven't had new shoes since I was eight. They are small and tight on my feet. You're lucky. Your shoes fit you. The least you can do is learn to lace them properly."

Gavroche looked around the room, obviously not listening to his sister's lecture. She gave them often, and they always seemed to tie back to her and what she wanted. "Fine teach me. I don't like wearing shoes anyway," he said.

"Good," Epoinine said. "Put the shoe on your foot." She crossed her arms and watched Gavroche as he struggled to fit his foot into his dirty brown shoes.

"After this can I play outside?" Gavroche asked. The recent rain had brought huge puddles Gavroche was dying to run through.

Eponine peered out the window. "Maybe," she said. "It's awfully muddy, though. You'll get dirty." She looked back out the window again. She saw a boy and a girl run by playing with some sort of toy sack. She knew the kids. They went to school with her, back before she stopped going. She sighed. The ten year old girl would never admit how much she longed to play with them. She couldn't admit it. She had chores to do and a little kid to care for.

"I'm already dirty," Gavroche said, snapping her back to reality. "Please can I, Ponine?"

"I said maybe," Eponine said. "Let's get your shoes tied first."

"Fine," Gavroche said. "What do I do?"

"You have to lace them up. See. The string goes through the holes. String it through, then cross it over and strong it through that hole." Eponine showed Gavroche how to do one then Gavroche took the string, lacing it through much quicker than his sister did.

"See," Eponine said. "It's not hard. Now you just have to tie them. Take each string in a hand."

Gavroche held both of the strings. "Like this?" He asked.

"Yes now cross them over," Eponine said.

Gavroche crossed the laces over each other. "I'm excellent at shoe tying," he informed his sister.

"We'll see," Eponine said. "Take one string and put it through the hole." Gavroche started to and Eponine grabbed his hand. "No, no, like this," she said, starting to do it for him.

"No," Gavroche said. "I can do it. See." He finished his sister's knot and pulled it through. "I did it."

"I do see," Eponine said.

"Good. Does that mean I can go play now?" Gavroche asked.

"Not yet," Eponine said. "Now we have to do the loops." Gavroche groaned. "Oh hush," Eponine scolded. "I'd think you'd like doing this. You like learning how to do new things."

"Fun new things," Gavroche grumbled.

"Oh shh," Eponine said. "Now take a string and make a loop. Then take the other string and loop it around. Then bring the loop under and pull."

Gavroche stared at her confused. He took a lace and made a loop with it, then tried to bring the loop around the string. Eponine tried to help him but he pushed her hand away, causing him to drop his strings.

He picked them up and tried again. He had a loop and wrapped a string around it, then struggled on what to do next. He tried to knot them like he did before, but the loop slipped through causing another knot with no loops. "Damned string," he muttered.

"You watch your mouth," Eponine said. "I'll tell Mama."

"Mama doesn't care," Gavroche said. "She doesn't care what I do. And besides, she says that all the time."

"It's different when your five. You musn't say words like that," Eponine said.

"You've said it before," Gavroche said.

Eponine crossed her arms. "I have not," she said.

"Yes you have," Gavroche said. "When Father sold your Sunday dress to Adele Trepont. You said 'damn that Adele Trepont.' I heard you."

Eponine bit her bottom lip in anger thinking about that rotton Adele Trepont dancing around in _her_ Sunday dress. She hated Adele. She was mean and snotty and looked horrible in the dress. "It doesn't matter what I said. Don't use bad words. Just try tying your loops again."

"Fine," Gavroche said. He wrapped the string back around the loop and pulled it through. The knot sat on the top of his shoe. He smiled. "There! I did it see! I tied my laces! Can I please go out and play now."

"Alright, go," Eponine said, standing up. Gavroche popped up and ran down the hall and out the inn door. Eponine walked slowly down the hall to the front room. The door still swung from Gavroche slamming through it.

The sun shined through the window. Eponine smiled at the sunshine. She decided that for the first time in weeks she'd go out and play and enjoy herself.

She walked to the door and started to open it. She was stopped by her Mother's voice. "Eponine!" She heard her shout. Eponine turned. Her Mother never used to shout her name. Now she seemed to shout it multiple times a day. She knew the shout came with a new task- a new chore to hold her back from her childhood. "Yes, Mama?"

"I need you to go make the beds upstairs. There are fresh sheets over there. Put them on clean side up. You know," her Mother said.

"Yes, I know," Eponine said. She walked over to the chair and picked up a pile of linens, then she ran upstairs ready to start another task.


End file.
